Starting device for internal-combustion engines.



D. D. MILES, JR. STARTING DEVIGE'FOR INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1913.

Patented May, 1914.

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, *Gew D. D.. MILES,v JR. STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1913.

1,098,047` Patented 26, 1914.

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` nr onirica.

, 'non D.- Minas, Jn., or san raiiivoisoc, CALIFORNIA, Assieivon, rvmmiicr AND iviiisivii ASSIGNMENTS, To eoonvviii auxiliaires COMPANY, or san FRANGISGO,

CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION F CALIFORNIA.

,sfrenriivennvion ron INTERNAL-coivrusrioiv niieiivns Looser',

' ,To all whom it may concern .Be it known that I, DON D. Minus, Jr., a citizen ofthe United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of- California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Starting Devices .for Internal-Combustion Engines, of whiclrthe following is a specification.

Theyhereinafter described invention relates to an improved pressure' actuated starting-'device for internal combustion engines generally, and is particularly adapted to be employed inA connection with marine engines and engines of motor driven vehicles, where itfis desired to start the same without the necessity of cranking, and the invention has for its principal. objects to provide a master selective cam for operating the valves for admitting air under pressure into the cylinders and for releasing the compression therein, and to provide a structure wherein the controlling valves are thrown into operative relation with their actuating cam on the admission of air from the air storage means to startthe engine, and upon the ciitting off of the flow of air from the air storage means and the starting of the engine are thrown bytheir actuating caininto inioperativc relation therewith and in a position to close the ports controlled thereby; to provide a structure in which the controlling valves are in contact with their actuating cam only when the device is employed in starting the engine; and to provide a de; vice wherein the controlling` valves admit air under compression. into the cylinders on their tiring stroke and permit a release of compression from the cylinder next in the order of firing.

With the above mentioned andother objects in view, the invention consists vin the novel construction and combination of pa'rts hereinafter described, illustrated in the ac ,companying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.; being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, Size andininor details of construc-v tion within 'the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout depart-A ing from'the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of' the invention.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference should be had to the acc :onipany14 Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application ledlv'ay 20, 1913. Serial No. 768,735.

the reservoir, the master selective valve casing, and the connections therefrom to the cylinders, the shaft extending through the master selective valver casing, and the valve controlled connection from the air storage reservoir to the valve casing. Fig. 2 is a 'transverse central sectional view of the inaster selective valve casing, disclosing the sliding valves therein and the ports controlled thereby, the cam lfor actuating the valves, and the air inlet connection from the air storage reservoir. Fig..3 is a vertical central sectional vieuT of the master controlling valve casing, disclosing certain of the slide valves, the operating means therefor, the inlet port from the air storage reservoir, the ports leading from said valves to their respective engine cylinders, and the compression escape ports controlled by said valves. Fig. 4c is a. view in elevation of the master selective valve casing, disclosing` the com munications from the respective sliding valves to the cylinders, and'the connection from the air storage reservoir to the interior of the casing. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of o-ne of the casings attached to each cylinder, disclosing the connection thereings, whereinlike reference numerals desigioo The chaml'iers S ofA the respective casings are connected'by the pipes 10 and the cas-` ings communicate through al pipe 11 with an air storage reservoir 12 of any suitable capacity, andlocated at any suitable point, and it will be apparent that when the engine is operating under its own power, the exhaustv gases from the cylinders will be forced into the chambers 8 and stored under pressure in the reservoir 12.

A pipe 13 controlled by a suitable valve 14 intersects the pipe-11, and at its opposite end communicates with the annular channel 14 formed in the interior of a suitable solid annular casing 15, secured to the crank case, and through the center of which passes a shaft 1G, preferably the magneto shaft, which is in `geared relation with the engine crank shaft.

The interior of the casing is provided with a disk-shaped bore 1G from which radiate the bores 17, which 'communicate at their outer ends lwith the annular channel 14, and correspond in number to the number of cylinders of the engine, in thiscase four.

In each of the bores 17 is slidably mounted a suitable valve 1S, each formed adjacent lits outer end with an annular channel 1f), said channels are adapted to control the passages 2O which connect through the bores 21, 22, 23 and 24 formed in the cover 25 of the casing, with the pipes 2G, 27, 2Q and 29, one of which communicates with the bore 7 of each casing 6 immediately below the valve 9.'

Keyed to rotate with the shaft 16 andlpositioned in the bores 16 is a cam 30, the peripheral edge of which is adapted to contact with the inner end of eachof the valves 1S and force the same outwardly.

Formed in the rear face plate 31 of the casing 15 yare a plurality of ports one communicating with each bore. 17 immediately below the passage 20,- and said ports 32'are controlled by the slide valves 18 and are adapted, when the valves are in a certain position, to communicate with the passages 20 through the annular channel 19 and permit the escape of the compression from the cylinder next in the order of firing.

Assuming that the engine has just been started and is operating under its own power, the device operates in the following manner: The valve 14 is closed to shut olf the communication 13 between the tank 12 and channel 14', thus cutting off the air pressure against the outer ends of the slide valves .18. The cam 30 in its rotation, in the direction of the arrow-Fig. 2, will force the valves 18 outwardly in their bores so that the same will cut off communication between the channel 14 and the ports 20, and

between the ports 20 and 32, and there being` no pressure in the channel 14, the valves will operates in the following manner yto start.

the engine. The valve 14 is now opened admitting an' under pressure from the reser voir 12 through the pipe 13 to the channel 14 and thepressure of the air forces the valveslS inwardly in contact with the cam 30 as in Fig. 2, the valve associated with the cylinder on its firing stroke resting on' the depressed portion A of the @im 30 which will permit the outer end of the valve to pass the port 2O associated therewith and will permit the air under compression to pass from the channel 14 through the pipe 29 -into the engine cylinder 2. The valve associated with cylinder 5 which is in its compression stroke is resting on the portion B of cam 30, which permits the channel 19Vof the valve to register with ports v20 and 32, which` will permit the compression in the cylinder 4 to escape to the atmosphere through pipe 28 and passages 20 and 32. lVhen the valves are in their above described position, the valve associated with the cylinder 4, which is on its suction stroke, is in contact with the portion C of the cam 30, which forces the valve outwardly its full distance and blinds or shuts, off communication between all ports associated therewith, permitting the cylinder piston to draw in an undiluted charge of fuel.V associated with cylinder 3, which is in its exhaust stroke, is in a similar position to the valve associated with cylinder 2, and in contact with portion A of the cam, permitting the exhaust of the cylinder to pass through pipe 26, ports 20 and 32 to the atmosphere. The admission of air into the cylinder on its firing stroke will force the The valve piston downwardly thereon, and the revolving of the engine crank shaft 33 will cause the shaft 16 carrying the cam 30 to rotate and present the indicated portions thereof alternately in sequence to the respect-ive valves, which will permit the air under compression to alternately enter the cylinders on their firing stroke and will permit a release of compression from lthe cylinders in advance of theirorder of firing. On the starting of the engine and after the valve 14 is closed, the cam 30 will force the valves 1S outwardly in their bores, asbefore described, where the same will remain idle until such time as it is again necessary to start the engine. The air storage reservoir is beingr l se e `ating under its own power and when the pressure therein balances the pressure of the explosion strokes of the engine the exhaust gases will pass through the engine exhaust manifold to the atmosphere.

lt will be apparent that l have provided a compressed air starting device consisting of but few parts which remain idle when the engine is operating under its own power, and are thrown into operative relation with their actuating cam by the air pressure when admitted to start the engine.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect`by Letter Patent is l. start-ing device for internal combustion engines and in combination with the engine cylinders thereof, the same com-- prising a gas storage reservoir, a valve controlled connection between the engine cylinders and said reservoir for supplying under pressure from the cylinders to the reservoir, a valve casing provided with a 'plurality of pairs of ports, one port of each of said pairs of ports leading` directly to the atmosphere, a connection between the other port of' each of said pairs of ports and one of the engine cylinders, a plurality ol valves lmounted in said casing and cach controlling a pair of said ports, a valve controlled connection from said gas storage reservoir to said casing for admitting gz thereto to operate said valves in one direction, and operating means for said valves for successively positioning the same to open the communication from the gas pressure reservoir to the cylinder whose piston is on its tiring stroke for admitting gas thereinto to start the engine, and for successively positioning said valves to open the communication from the cylinder next in the order'of Firing through the ports associated therewith to the atmosphere for releasing the compression therein.

2. A starting device for internal combustion ei'igines and in combination with the engine cylinders thereof, the same comprising` a gas sto age reservoir, a valve controlled connection between the engine cylinders and said reservoir for supplying gas under pressure 'from the cylinders to the reservoir, a valve casing provided in its surface with a plurality 'of pairs of ports, one port of cach of said pairs ot ports leading directly to the atmosphere, a connection between the other port of each of said pairs otl ports and one of the engine cylinders, a plurality of radially disposed valves mounted in said casing and each controlling a pair of said ports, a valve controlled connection from said gas storage reservoir to said casing for admitting gas thereto to operate said valvesin one direction, and a cam com-` mon to all of said valves for operating the same against the gas pressure vfrom said gas storage reservoir and for successively positioning the same to open the communication from the gas pressure reservoir to the cylinder whose piston is on its tiring stroke for admitting' gas under pressure thereto to start the engine, and for successively positioning said valves to open the communication from the cylinder next in the order of tiring through the ports associated therewith to the atmosphere for releasing the compression therein. i

A. starting devicefor internal combustion engines and in combination with the engine cylinders thereof, the same comprising a gas storage reservoir, a valve controlled connection between said engine cylinder and said reservoir for supplying gas under pressure from said cylinders to the reservoir, a. valve casing, a valve controlled connection from said casing to each of said engine cylinders, valve controlled ports in said casing communicating with each of said valve controlled connections and leading to the atmosphere, a valve controlled connection from the gas storage reservoir to the casing, and means for operating said valves to successively open to the engine cylinders in their order of firing the communications from said casing to the engine cylinders to admit gas under pressure thereto to start the engine and to successively open to the cylinder whose pistony is on its compression stroke the port in said casing leading to the atmosphere for the release of the compression therein.

4. A starting device for internal combustion engines `and in combination with the engine cylinders thereof, the same comprising a storage reservoir, a valved connection between an engine cylinder and the reserY voir wherebyvthe engine on its tiring stroke will cause a portion of the burnt gases to pass to the reservoir, a gas controlled distributing member receiving the gas from the reservoir, a. valve controlling the supply of gas to said distributing member, connections between said distributing member and the cylinders, said distributing member including independently operable means for con sonantly supplying the gas to one cylinder and relieving the compression in only the cylinders which are next .in the order of tirino'.

5. A starting device for internal combusn tion engines and in combination with the engine cylinders thereof, the same comprising a storage reservoir, means for supplying the. burnt gases from one ot the cylinders of the engine to the reservoir under pressure, a pressure controlled distributing member, a valved connection between the reservoir and said distributing member, conduits connecting the distributing member with each of' the cylinders, said distributing member 1ncluding independently operable means up- @spies ci this patent may be obtained for erated in tiined relation with the engine for admitting gas under pressure directly to one engine cylinder from the reservoir through the distributer and simultaneously bringing 'only the next cylinders in the order of firing Iinders and the reservoir whereby upon the firing of the charge in the cylinder av portion of the gases are .caused to pass to the f reservoir, a connection between the reservoir and the cylinders for supplying the gases directly to the cylinders above the pistons, and combined supply and exhaust.

Valves for each of the cylinders located in the connection between the reservoir and the cylinders, said valves being controlled by the pressure from said reservoir.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ci `tWo subscribing Witnesses.

DON D. MILES, se.,

Witnesses:

HARRY A. TOTIEN9 D. B. RICHARDS.

rey cents each, by addressing the Commissione: of Estense, Washington, I). 13. 

